Maynooth GAA Club

History of Maynooth G.A.A.

Maynooth GAA (Irish: Cumann L�thchleas Gael M�igh N�ad) is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It caters for the sporting and social needs of the residential areas adjacent to its location for all ages through the promotion of Gaelic games � Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and handball.

Maynooth are the winners of two county senior football championships in 1896 and 1913 and two senior hurling championships in 1937 and 1939. William Reilly was regarded as one of the best players in the game in the 1890s and played on the international team that played England at Stamford Bridge in 1896.

History..

Maynooth Crom Abu (pronounced aboo, named for the war cry of the FitzGeralds in the 16th century), wearing green, orange and black, played Straffan on March 13, 1887, a game that may not have been the first between the teams. Maynooth were semi-finalists in the very first championship, and after the 1889 semi-final withdrew from competition because Thomas Cullen died after an accidental blow to the head playing against Mountrice. At the time Crom-Abus had played 70 matches against teams from Dublin, Louth, Meath, and Kildare, and lost only ten of them. RIC records from 1890 show that Maynooth Crom Abu had 83 members, with officers listed as Con Buckley, James Gill, William Flood and Pat Gorman. Maynooth opened their grounds on the Moyglare Road in 1966.

Gaelic Football..

The Men's Football Team currently compete in the Kildare Intermediate Championship after relegation in 2008 and also in Division One of the Senior League after promotion in the same year under the management of Liam Harnan.

Maynooth lost a replayed final against Clane in 1895 and won their first championship under captain William Reilly in a one-sided final against Sallins in 1896. On May 30, 1897, Crom-Abu footballers represented Kildare against Dublin's Young Irelands in the Leinster final and put up one of the finest Kildare performances of the pre-1903 period before losing by four points, 1-12 to 2-13. They lost the 1897 county final on objection to Clane. Maynooth became the first team to win Junior and Senior honours in successive years, in 1912 and 1913. Maynooth beat Kilcock 0-3 to 0-2 on the field of play and by one vote in the council chamber when an objection and counter objection were heard. They won the junior championship with a replay win over Castledermot. Dan Buckley's Maynooth side won 1947 Junior and 1948 Intermediate titles to compete at senior again. Maynooth won the Intermediate Championship in 1999 with a replayed victory over St Kevins. Following one season in Senior Football Maynooth defeated St Kevins again in 2005 (1-11 to 0-04) to win the Intermediate Championship in Newbridge.

Hurling..

Maynooth withdrew from the 1888 county final because they were too tired from playing a semi-final the same afternoon. They were county finalists again in 1903. Jack Maguire and Lar Keely won Leinster junior medals with Kildare in 1905. They beat Clane on objection to win the county championship of 1913. Seamus Bourke won a Leinster junior medal with Kildare in 1935. Bourke, Peter Delaney, Joe Murphy, and Mick Sullivan starred in the Maynooth team that won the Kildare SH championship of 1937. Maynooth won back the championship in 1939 after beating Curragh in a semi-final that had to be postponed twice and Broadford in a final that pitted members of the Bourke family against each other. Peter Delaney and Donal Buckley featured on Kildare�s championship winning teams of the 1950s.

Honours..

Kildare Senior Football Championship winners 1896, 1913.
Kildare Senior Hurling Championship winners 1937, 1939.
Senior Football league 1934.
Leinster Senior Football finalists 1896.
Intermediate Football Champions 1948, 1999, 2005.
Intermediate Football League 1954, 1955.
Senior B Football Champions 2007.
Junior Football Champions 1912, 1947, 1995.
The Niall Smullen Cup 1974,1997
All Ireland finalists Scor na n�g 2006 (Rince Foirne)
Leinster Champions Scor na n�g 2006 (Rince Foirne)
Leinster Junior Ladies Football Champions 2008